Brian Minter: Who knew that making cider was so complicated

In the last six to 10 years there has been a significant upswing in demand for cider apple trees in B.C.

The trend of folks producing their own wine and craft beer has been around for some time, and now cider brewing is taking its place in the spotlight.

It’s only in the last few years that true cider apple trees have been available in garden stores, and many folks are not quite sure what to make of them. Good cider apples are high in tannins, making them taste awful, but they are not intended to be eaten fresh. Don’t put them in a lunch kit!

Derrick Bissett, a very well-known local cider authority, explains that the taste of a good cider apple has been described as eating cotton batten dipped in iodine.

According to Dave and Doug Neufeld, local nurserymen based in Agassiz who supply many cider apple trees to growers across B.C., these trees are more difficult to grow than traditional dessert varieties. Dave Neufeld told me they are prone to many diseases, need good cultural care and many are biennial bloomers, meaning lots of apples one year and far fewer the next.

Despite these challenges, the Neufelds say that in the last six to 10 years there has been a significant upswing in demand for these varieties. There are pockets of small orchards across the province, mostly on Vancouver Island, in the Okanagan and in the Lower Mainland. Cider apples are used to supply local cideries, which, like micro-breweries, are growing in numbers.

Cider is an ancient brew. It is most popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom, which has the world’s highest consumption per capita and is home to some of the largest cider-producing companies, according to Wikipedia. India, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are also cider-producing and consuming countries, and there is a long history of cider production in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Germany.

There are two distinct categories of ciders: hard ciders are alcoholic, and soft or sweet ciders are non-alcoholic. In Canada, the word cider cannot be used unless it is made from apples. In terms of hard ciders, our food and drug regulations state that they must contain a minimum alcohol level of 2.5 per cent but not exceed 13 per cent.

I am interested in the process of making cider, especially from the home gardener’s point of view, so I spoke with Jim Rahe, a retired Simon Fraser University professor. Rahe, along with his wife, owned Annie’s Orchard in Aldergrove. After four decades of growing over 200 varieties of apples, he possesses a wealth of knowledge.

True cider apple trees are now available in many garden stores. Photo: Minter Country Garden. Minter Country Garden /
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To provide some perspective, he said once a cider apple tree is planted, it will take seven to eight years to reach full production which may vary between 50 and 100 pounds of apples. Fifty pounds of apples will produce about 25 pounds of pulp which, in turn, will result in 10 litres of juice.

According to Rahe, good ciders should be judged on their sweetness, acidity, aromas and tannin content.

As it’s often hard to find enough cider apples to make cider, dessert apples will do, especially the ‘number two’ grades. Without the tannin, Rahe thinks ciders can be far too sweet, and this is where cider apples play an important role.

Bissett is very experienced in cider processing, and for the past 15 years, UBC has invited him to their apple festival in October to show folks how to properly juice apples.

When it comes to juicing apples, they have to be crushed first to a consistency much like rough sawdust. Commercial crushing equipment has always been expensive, so home cider makers have learned to be quite innovative. In the past folks used what was called a ‘scratcher.’ It was a wooden container measuring about eight to 10 inches across with a drum inside that contained wooden screws. When the drum was turned, either by hand or by motor, it was very effective in breaking up the apples.

Today, some clever people are using household garburators to pulverize the apples, and it seems to work well. I had to chuckle when Bissett told me that in the Okanagan one grower put all the apples on plastic sheeting, covered them up and drove a pick-up truck all over them! Whatever works, I guess.

Once the apples are crushed, they can then be put in a press to squeeze out the juice. After the juice has been extracted, it is then allowed to ferment. Yeast can be added to create a more controlled flavour. The fermenting process can take anywhere from a week to months. Bissett said French cider makers have a saying: cool, slow fermentation.

I also had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel Bolongaro, the founder of the Fraser Valley Cider Company in Langley. She is an engineer who in 2014, after visiting a cidery on Vancouver Island, made a lifestyle change and opened her own cidery. Even though she is currently growing over 2,000 trees with 27 vetted varieties on a 12-acre site, she must bring in eating apples from the Okanagan to meet the demand for her cider.

Bolongaro confirmed all the challenges laid out by the many folks I interviewed, but she is very passionate about cider. Her cider production has grown from 8,000 litres per year to a planned 48,000 litres next year. At their location, they hope to be open and selling their fabulous, unique ciders until Christmas.

Bolongaro thinks that a blend of apples creates the finest ciders, and she uses her own types of yeast to help create unique flavours.

I love the fact she tries to include the community on certain Saturdays by encouraging folks to bring in their own apples to have them turned into excellent ciders. Her website is fraservalleycider.ca.

As a member of the B.C. Farm Crafted Cider Association, Bolongaro is proud that 20 B.C. cider makers all work together to improve the craft and promote local cideries.

Growing cider apples, processing them and brewing your very own ciders can be challenging, but like anything else in the world that is worth doing, the rewards are many. There’s a growing interest in cider making, and we’re fortunate to have so many local folks who are keeping alive this ancient craft. Be sure to visit and support the many great cideries in our province.

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